“Temp, Elena, my broskis. We joined you here and have broken bread, but we haven’t been honest.” Jaxon paused, “we are here as a last resort. We suspected it before, but your truth has confirmed our suspicions.”

"Long before this reward game," Jaxon began, his baritone voice steady, "our line parted from the cervidian royal blood." He glanced at his kin, antlers nodding in silent accord. "We had questioned the direction that the leading clan was taking us. And then we peaced out."

"Huh?" Cal was confused by the sudden story-sharing, but did not probe further as he ate some more of Elena’s delicious cooking.

"Perhaps it was misguided, but our people did not agree on how to handle the influence of Hetar. Our family line had come into knowledge forbidden by Hetar, and thus the crown. It threatened their grip on power precisely because their power was flimsy from the start," Jaxon continued.

"Jerry's father is our family’s chief," interjected Joe, his usually dull tone sharpened by reverence. "Pops is a genus.”

“Genius, bro.” Jabor followed, “Pops was a researcher who delved into the deep arcane.”

"Right, that crazy guy is all into lost magics. It’s probably why the royal line didn’t kill him off," Jaxon said, his gray eyes glinting with a mix of fear and fascination. "Our brother believed his work could liberate us from Hetar. Pop’s will be upset when he hears about Jerry."

Cal leaned forward and the smells of more wafting meat made his stomach roll. "What exactly did he find?"

"Answers," Jaxon replied, cryptic. "And more questions. Perhaps you know more of what Jerry was following."

Jaxon affirmed, his gaze hardening. "Anyways, something must be wonky for the main sect to be killing us off so openly. Maybe after they got to Jerry, they see us as loose ends, but I hardly think it’s so simple, right bros?"

"We will return, and they’ll pay! But we’re outnumbered and easy targets now. Just look at what happened to Jobe – he should have had a whole squad of backup." declared Jabor, his fist clenched.

Cal nodded, understanding dawning. These cervidians were already on the run - they faced a path riddled with danger, even more dangerous than his own.

Cal realized that unlike them, he was simply moving forward without a plan or goal. He wanted to go home. He knew that and wished for it. Perhaps only to secure his sister and father and maybe Sari, but he was unsure if the world he remembered was any more meaningful to him than this new one.

He had a profound sense of being untethered.

In the dimming light of the campfire, Cal's hand absently brushed against his pocket. The conversation had spiraled into a labyrinth of fears and plots, as the cervidians speculated on the death of their brothers. Cal’s fingers felt the smooth curvature of the egg he'd found earlier. It was oddly warm, almost thrumming with a life of its own.

"Only unity can bring strength to the cervidians," Jaxon was saying, his voice a low rumble that mingled with the crackling flames.

"Or downfall," Elena countered, her eyes never leaving the cervidians. “I am still unsure of the power of upper Hetar? What makes you so confident.”

“But we must do something. We will not be slaves!” Jabor replied.

A sharp snap cut through the dialogue—an abrupt punctuation that drew all eyes to Cal's hands.

Cal pulled out an egg that was trembling violently under his touch, fissures spreading like spider webs across its surface. A collective breath held—suspended in the thick air of anticipation.

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“Well, that is quite unfortunate.” Temp indicated to Cal. “Shame really.”

"Holy shit bro, you found the egg!" Joe exclaimed, rising to his feet, the firelight casting long shadows over his features.

The egg quivered. A network of cracks webbed across its surface, a promise of life pulsing from within. Cal's hand hovered over his dagger, muscles tensed, eyes fixed on the shifting shell. Beside him, Elena stood like a shadow, her violet gaze unreadable yet intense.

"Who will claim it?" she asked, voice cutting through the still air.

“If anything I’m the one holding it.” Cal paused, “but what do you mean claim it?” Cal chuckled embarrassedly.

Jaxon stepped forward, his voice a gentle rumble. "Remember, bro, we have not asked you for what our brother endowed you. A legacy imparted is true, and as such is sacred. But bro, this one was ours first.”

Cal conceded, a begrudging respect in his tone. Cal wouldn’t be sure what to do with a small beast regardless. He truly needed the egg alone.

"Shouldn't fate decide?" Elena suggested, tilting its head towards the trembling egg. Her eyes were filled with a mischievousness glint.

Joe’s eyes lit up. "Broski, that’s perfect. Let the beast choose!"

Silence fell. Even the wind held its breath.

"Elena?" Cal prompted, curiosity lacing his skepticism.

"Cal, the benefit of a beast egg is that there is an opportunity for mana imprinting. All beasts that have cores have extremely short gestation periods. So, eggs are relatively rare. And just because you get an egg, doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to imprint." Elena said simply. "Place the egg at the center. Whoever it chooses first upon hatching..."

"Will be its keeper," finished Jaxor. “Agreed.”

"Fair to all of us," Elena added.

"What is the point of imprinting." Cal's nod was mirrored by the cervidians around them.

“Heh, imagine having a pet spalazor, think of the carnage.” She shivered. “People come across sectors when a beast egg is auctioned off, especially if it a high rarity beast. For imprinting, there’s too many benefits to count – let’s decide first, I’ll talk you through it later if it imprints on you.”

Each person circled around the egg. “This one’s certainly high rarity.” Jabor agreed.

The rules were impartial, removed from the grasp of personal desires and past contributions. The egg now lay between them, an unspoken compact binding them as they awaited the choice of the life within.

“By the way, what kind of beast is this, anyways?” Elena looked on expectantly.

The egg shuddered. A crack zigzagged across the shell, widening with every twitch until a fragment fell away. From within, a sinuous form emerged, damp and glistening with the flickers of the fire. It was a snake, no larger than a forearm, but atop its head sprouted a pair of delicate fox ears.

"By the ancients," whispered Jabor, its eyes aglow with wonder.

"What’s that on its head?" Joe asked, stepping closer.

Cal remained silent, his gaze locked on the beast. Isn’t it just a baby snek?

Elena leaned in, violet eyes reflecting the peculiar being before her. "What might you be capable of, little one?" she murmured, more to herself than the group.

The snake's tongue flickered in the air, tasting freedom. It turned, surveying its audience with an intelligence that belied its newborn state. Then, as if drawn by an invisible thread, its gaze fixed onto Elena.

"Huh," Cal muttered.

The creature slithered forward, scales whispering against the leaf-littered ground. It approached Elena, who remained perfectly still, her breathing slowed as though afraid to startle the tiny serpent.

With surprising gentleness, it nuzzled her palm. Elena's expression shifted from intrigue to astonishment, then settled into a smile of pure joy.

Elena reached into her pouch, fingers searching. They closed around a scrap of dried meat. She brought it to the snake, which lifted its fox-like ears in attention. Delicately, it took the offering from her fingertips, tiny jaws working with meticulous care.

"Never seen anything eat so... politely," Cal observed, his tone laced with wonder.

The cervidians nodded, their large eyes reflecting the spectacle. They whispered among themselves, sounds of enchantment fluttering through the air like leaves caught in a gentle breeze.

"Quite the charmer," Jaxon remarked, stepping closer. Its hoof pressed softly into the earth, cautious not to disturb the tender scene unfolding before them.

"It’s rigged, bro! Haha, It’s so tiny," Joe joked along. The cervidians' gazes were locked on the creature, enamored by its peculiar grace, but also regretful.

Very soon, laughter rippled through the group, light and airy as they planned for the trail south once more. Elena's violet eyes still held a glint of something deeper—a mix of pride and protectiveness for the creature that had chosen her. Cal could not see it, but he could also feel a peculiar power surrounding the snake on her hand – he guessed that it was the mana imprint Elena had mentioned.

“What should we call you.”

“Name it Jobe!”

“He will live on!”

“Hmmm, I do think it’s a boy snake.” Elena considered further.

[Escalation, stage 2: Survive the entrapment of hungry predators. Time limit: 312 hours]